Chapter Eleven - I'll Do Anything
Gabriella's Point of View
"I recognize the name, James, but I can't really remember him." Nicole said.
After Troy went down the hallway Nicole was concerned. She said that she and Troy had known each other since she had first started working at the shelter. I had told Nicole about Troy's surprise visit and then meeting James and the awkward walk back. Nicole wasn't sure what was happening with Troy. She hadn't seen him in months, only the odd time he would stop by to see Orion, his favorite dog he helped train. Nicole tried to comfort me and she told me that whatever was bothering Troy probably had nothing to do with me. A part of me just said to believe Nicole, she had given me great advice before, but another part of me said that whatever Troy was hiding had the faintest thing to do with me.
"He had dark hair?" I said, trying to remember what James had looked like. Nicole sat back on the couch, shaking her head.
"No," She said. "I don't think I even met a James with dark hair."
"He was tall, had three guys behind him?" I was desperate.
Troy was either sad or mad or worried about something that had to deal with James. Whatever it was I was determined to know. Troy might not tell me anything, but maybe James could tell me something? The only thing was was that I would have to run into him again and I barely even remembered what he looked like. The phone started ringing on the desk, Nicole jumped up to answer it. I got up too, walking down the hallway and into the spare office.
I threw my bag next to the desk and slumped onto the chair. I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. I heard something being banged around in the room beside the office. I opened my eyes and tried to listen. There were two hums on the other side of the wall. Then the office door flew opened. It was Nicole.
"Robyn is coming back today." She said, handing me a folder. "Where's Troy?" I shrugged.
"I hadn't seen him since we came back." I said. "What's the folder for?"
"Oh, it's just some extra food she was hoping you and Troy could drop off." I nodded. "I'm going to find Troy, alright?" Nicole started out the office and bumped into another familiar face. His name was ..
"Nick!" Nicole said. "Have you seen Troy around?" Nick shrugged his shoulder and looked over to me. "You haven't seen him since he got back from his break?" Nicole asked. Nick shook his head.
"No, not since he left." Nick said, looking back to me. Nicole threw her hands in the air.
"Unbelievable!" She said. "This order needs to be finished before Robyn gets back." Nick started laughing.
"Oh, come on Nikki, I'm sure Robyn will understand. Why don't you go look for Troy?" He said. Nicole eyed him.
"It's Nicole, Nick." She said sternly. "You know what? You can fill the order with Gabriella." Nicole said, giving Nick a set of keys. Nick stared at Nicole then to me.
"Your joking, right?" He asked. Nicole shook her head, walking down the hallway. "Nikki, come on!" Nicole didn't answer him.
Nick stood in the doorway. He looked down the hallway and then to me. He slowly walked into the office and stood in front of the desk.
"Gabriella, right?" He asked. I got to my feet and nodded.
"Yeah." I smiled.
"I think we have met before." Nick said, smiling.
"Uh, yeah." I said, shyly. "Outside at the picnic table." I looked down at the paper Nicole handed me. "We should get going." I said. Nick nodded.
I grabbed my bag and walked past Nick down the hallway. I heard him slowly following behind me. Nicole was on the phone at the desk. I saw her smirk to Nick. I ignored both of them and walked out into the parking lot, waiting for Nick to catch up.
Troy's Point of View
I sat on the counter in the kitchen, still thinking about James and Gabriella. It was hard to believe that a human could be so heartless. The ugly smirk that he gave me while looking at Gabriella. There was a strange twinkle in his eye that made me want to puke up blood. Just the way he waved to her and how he smiled to her.
I decided I needed to get my mind off of James. I had trust in Nick that he would talk to Gabriella and make sure she stayed away from James. Nick had been a good friend since we both started volunteering and I had trust in him. I jumped off the counter and slowly cracked open the kitchen door. Nicole wasn't at the front desk, probably putting papers in the mail room. I ran from the kitchen and out the back door.
I jogged across the field to the kennel. I opened the door slowly and went to Orion's cage. He was laying on his front paws. I opened his cage and scratched behind his ear. His tail started to move, but he didn't. I got his leash and watched him slowly get to his feet. He didn't seem happy today. I attached the least to his collar and pulled him out of the kennel.
We ran into the small clearing that led us to the pond. I unhooked the leash from Orion and sat on the bench. If one of the worker were to come through the clearing they would yell at me for not having his leash on. Orion jumped on the bench and laid his head in my lap. I scratched behind his ear and watched the small fish swim in the pond.
"Everything alright bud?" I asked Orion. He lifted his big head at barked once. I scratched behind his ear. "Wish I could say the same." I said, looking back to the small pond. "Dad still hasn't come home yet. He called last night and talk to Violet. He wanted to talk to me but I told my mom I didn't want to. Mom said he should be coming home in a few days, but that's what he said the day before. I don't mind the few days more, but Vi still seems upset that he would leave. I wish he would just sit down and talk to her. He doesn't realize how much he's hurting her."
"Your father does understand," A soft voice said behind me. Orion lifted his head. "But he has a job, Troy." My mom walked over to sit next to Orion. She rubbed his belly. Orion turned onto his back, letting my mom continue. I straightened in my seat, I didn't mean for my mom to hear any of that.
"Did you feed him?" She asked, looking at the fish. I shook my head.
"Not yet." I said.
"Don't you think you should?" She said.
"Don't you think you should have dad at least talk to his daughter." I said, getting frustrated. "You must see it too, mom." I could tell what I had said upset my mom, but I wasn't the only one who noticed that my father didn't pay attention to his only daughter.
"Troy." My mom nearly whispered. She looked up at me, her eyes watering. "Your father is trying." A tear slipped from her eye.
"Not hard enough, mom." I said, not thinking. I could tell my mom was very upset and me continue to talk about my father only made it worse. I got to my feet and looked to Orion. Orion lifted his head, licking my mother's cheek, and jumped off the bench. He followed me through the clearing and I attached his leash.
I put my hands in my pockets. If I had stayed with my mom I would have only made things worse. I just needed time to cool down. My father hadn't been home since the day he and my mom grounded me. He was suppose to be back today, from his business trip, but a great opportunity came up and it was hard for him to refuse. I never knew why my father started taking longer trips during the summer and the early fall. I would always spend the night up wondering if it was because of me.
After Violet turned three I forgot about what he did, I didn't care anymore. Violet would come into my room at night saying how she couldn't sleep and that she was scared dad wasn't coming home. I would tuck her back into bed and hear my mom crying behind a closed door. I never knew if my mom heard me behind that door, only that each time he didn't come home, her sobs became louder. Each night it was harder to listen. My father didn't seem concerned that he was hurting his family.
He was never like this until Violet turned one. I would never blame Violet for my father's disappearance, but for the last four years I had to put up with him abandoning his family. It's not something that other fathers would do, it was the complete opposite.
Gabriella's Point of View
"I think you missed the turn." I said, looking back at the map Nicole had printed off.
"No," Nick said, slowing the car at the lights. "I know a faster way." I put the paper down and looked out the window.
"So," I said. "How long have you and Troy been friends for?" Nick slowly stepped on the gas peddle.
"Uh, a while." He said. I nodded. That's all he's going to tell me? So much for learning more about Troy. "Troy said that your going to East High in the fall." Nick stated. I just nodded.
"Yeah." I said. "Are you going there?" I asked. Nick shook his head.
"No, I go to school outside of the city." He said. "I just come here for the summer to visit."
"Oh, so you have a cottage or something around here?" I asked.
"Uh," Nick started. Compared to Troy, Nick, was much easier to read and I could sense his discomfort. "Not exactly. My mom lives here and I visit her every summer."
"So you live with your father during the school year?" I asked, curious.
"No." He said. "My dad .. isn't .. talking to me anymore and my mom .. well .. there are reason why I don't live with her during the school year."
"Then who do you live with during the school year?"
"My aunt and her boyfriend." Nick said, turning a left on the downtown shelters street. "She's the only family I have left."
Nick didn't speak while we pulled into the shelters parking lot. I didn't even want to breathe the air, it was full of awkwardness. I think Nick was just unsure of why he told me his life story and although he didn't tell me what happened with his parents, it was obvious he wasn't in the mood to talk about it. Plus, it was none of my business.
Nick and I jumped out of the car and started to unload the trunk. He was much stronger than I was and carried all the larger boxes and bags. I took as much as I could in my small arms and held my breath as I carried it through the doors. Nick helped me put them down in the back kitchen. I went back to the car while Nick started to put the food away. I picked up the remaining three bags of bird food and closed the trunk, walking back into the building.
As I opened the kitchen door I saw a all too familiar face. Amber was it? She was on her tippy toes, her shirt lifting to see her stomach, struggling to put a box on the top shelf. Nick went behind her and took the box from her hands. She turned around, her hands finding his chest, and a loud giggle escaping her lips. Nick pulled back and started to finish unpacking the box. I could see Amber's face turn to disappointment, not that I really cared. The last time I had stopped by this shelter she was all over Troy. Then Troy kissed my cheek and wrapped his arm around me ..
"Gabriella!" Nick said, pulling me out of my thoughts.
"What?" I asked. Nick was standing a couple feet away from me, his hand extended towards me.
"Do you want me to take those bags?" He asked. I nodded slowly and gave them to him. He brought them over to Amber. He handed them to her. Amber smiled and put them behind her, looking back to Nick.
"Thanks for helping a girl out." She said, her hands running behind Nick's neck. I swallowed my vomit.
"Your welcome." Nick said, pulling away from her. I felt a smile playing on my lips, it was amusing how she seemed to hit on every guy. "See you later." Nick said, turning back to me.
"Come back anytime." Amber said. "Oh, Gabe is it?" She said, looking at me.
"Gabriella." I said. She crossed her arms.
"How's Troy doing?" She asked. I smiled.
"He's doing great, I'll tell him you said hi." I said. I turned around and walked out of the kitchen. Amber deserved that one.
Troy's Point of View
I walked into the main building. I had just come from putting Orion away and figured it was time to face Nicole. I knew I would find her sitting at the front desk, probably talking to Chase. They had been together for a few years, I think, and now I was just waiting for the wedding. All I knew about Chase was that his parents had money. Lots of it. I also knew that Nicole really cared for him and she would flip if he did something to upset her.
I pushed open the front doors and watched Nicole's head snap up. I stuffed my hands into my pockets and walked up to her. I didn't see any sign of anger on her face. Something had to be wrong. Nicole was always angry at Nick and I, she didn't appreciate babysitting. She always thought of us as kids, which was true, when she first met us. I don't think she hates us, she just doesn't like the nicknames, pranks, and sarcastic remarks Nick and I gave her. We only did it to annoy her and we defiantly exceeded in that.
"What Troy?" She asked, not sounding mad. I was a little shocked by this.
"I don't even get a hello?" I joked. Nicole lifted her head.
"Hello Troy," She said, no sign of anger. "Where were you? You missed a drop off."
"Outside, walking around." I said. "Sorry I missed it. I'll just wait for the next one."
"No, Troy, you wont." Nicole said, getting up from her desk. "As of now your taking over Nick's job and Nick will be taking yours."
Woah. Nick's job was pretty easy. You went around feeding the birds, cats, dogs, bunnies, and then the fish. It was one of the easier jobs at the shelter. It didn't involve paper work or meetings, something my mom had been doing for years. I think it would be pretty cool. I could see Orion twice a day and I would get to see Pancakes, a bunny Violet named.
"I don't mind that." I said, leaning against the desk while Nicole went over to the filing cabinet. "Although, I don't think Brie will be too fond of that idea, she's not really a dog person." I said. Nicole closed the cabinet and went back to her desk.
"It wont matter what Brie thinks of the idea, she'll be working with Nick."
She'll be working with Nick. She'll be working with Nick. No, Brie and I were partners. You can't split up partners. No, Brie was more than a partner to me, she was a friend. I wouldn't leave my friend hanging and I wouldn't want Nick spending more time with her then me. I hardly even spent time with her. How would I be able to know her better and be able to know she's safe. How could I know that she will stay away from James when I'm not around her. Nick would keep an eye on her, but I don't want Nick to be watching her everyday. I want to be the one watching her everyday. I want to watch her flip her hair on one shoulder when she gets nervous. I want to hear her laugh everyday.
I wouldn't even be able to see her on my break. Her break starts when mine would end. Why would Nicole do this to me? She knows how I feel about Brie and how I feel for her safety. Even if she didn't know the reason why I wanted her safe, Nicole would still keep me around her. In case something ever happened.
"Nicole, you have to be kidding. Isn't there another way I could make up for this?" I urged. "I don't care what it is, as long as I can keep my job and still be allowed to work in the office with Brie."
"Right, I'm sorry, instead of helping to finish paper work and documents to allow a animal to be adopted, you want me to sacrifice one so you can get it on with your little girlfriend? Troy, no, this is strictly business. I have nothing against Gabriella, but you need to grow up."
"Would you please give me another chance, Nicole." I said. "I'll do anything." Nicole raised an eyebrow.
"Anything?" She asked. I nodded.
"Name your price." I knew I was going to regret this later.
...
Alright, so I'm sorry that this wasn't up earlier but my computer is being very slow and stupid and it took almost an hour to open the internet. I am also sorry if there are any spelling mistakes, this thing was taking forever with the spell check that I just skipped it. Anyways, thank you to everyone who has been reading and reviewing this story, it means a lot. It's so sad that school is starting in a week! I will still try my hardest to keep my updates weekly, but if my computer continues to be this slow I might need an extra day to post. Hopefully the next chapter will be up by Friday or Saturday. As always, stay tuned !